PR N°12 - Mainini put forward by FIBA Europe as candidate for FIBA Presidency

MUNICH (FIBA) – Current President of the French Basketball Federation, Yvan Mainini was nominated on Saturday by the FIBA Europe General Assembly in Munich as their candidate to become FIBA’s next President.

According to the principle of continental rotation and with statutes limiting the term of office to one four-year period, following four years under Oceania’s Bob Elphinston, the FIBA Presidency will now be passed over to a European.

The election of the FIBA President will be held by secret ballot during the 14th FIBA World Congress that will take place in Istanbul on 4th-6th September 2010 during the FIBA World Championship. The new President will be elected if he achieves simple majority of the Congress delegate votes.

The European member national federations of FIBA were able to send their nominations until 28th February 2010, with two candidates – George Vassilakopoulos and Yvan Mainini – submitted by the French and the Greek federations within the given deadline. The FIBA Europe General Assembly held in Munich over the weekend voted for Yvan Manini and subsequently put him forward as their candidate.

Following the nomination of Mr Mainini, FIBA’s current President, Bob Elphinston said: “This election concludes a race between two excellent and very high-profile candidates, who both have the experience and know-how to lead FIBA. We have a very solid profile to be put forward to our Congress in Istanbul.”

Yvan Mainini, who was born in the French city of Bayeux on 26th December 1944, began his basketball career as a top-level international referee. He was elected President of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) in 1992 and was re-elected on 13th December 2008 for another four-year mandate.

FIBA